Surviving Our Past

During the formative years of our life, many of us experience physical and emotional wounds perpetrated by family, neighbors and friends of our family.

These events caused parts of our soul to splinter off and embed in our subconscious mind. We are disjointed and incomplete, because our basic human needs in these areas were never met.

Some of us barely survive our past experiences, and we drag the wounds with us into adulthood. Victimization took away our choices and we feel trapped.

We even mistreat our self by either putting our needs last and allowing other people to take advantage of us, or punishing our self with further pain and neglect, or becoming obsessed with our own needs and walling our heart from further hurt by shutting down our emotions and becoming self-sufficient.

We may allow the demon of perfectionism to control our life, because we fear further rejection or feel the need to earn love and acceptance; or we may adopt a lackadaisical and carefree attitude, unthinking and callous to the needs of others.

God leads us on the path of healing through sanctification. As we embrace the parts of our soul we left behind, we experience a wholeness and completion, which we never thought was possible (Colossians 2:10-15).

We integrate the pieces of our self, which we rejected in our past, and learn to relate to people and the will of God for our life as healthy individuals who are growing in the grace of God. ( www.theophostic.com )

God teaches us to set boundaries in our life to prevent future abuse and gives us a new heart in order to love others as He loves us.

God's healing in our life sets us free to shed the shackles of negative emotions and to be more aware of living fully in each present moment with unceasing prayer and by walking in the Spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, You were right there with us during those times of abuse and neglect in our past. You understand our thought processes now and the negative emotions, which plague our life. You became a man and died for us. This act of selfless love now gives us the sense of being valued and unconditionally loved.

As we align our self and our beliefs with Your Word, we find fulfillment in this life, which we never thought possible on this side of heaven. You supply all of our needs according to Your glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). You restore our soul, anoint our head with oil, set a table for us in the presence of our enemies and our cup overflows with Your blessings (Psalm 23).

Thought for the Day:

We can relinquish the need to control life and other people in a misguided attempt to keep our self safe from further abuse and neglect, when we insist on taking part in decisions which affect our life, and trust God to work out even the worst circumstances for our good - Romans 8:28

WHO LOVES YOU - Part 3 - God's Healing Love

 

Some people seem to laugh easily; others laugh sparingly, almost grudgingly. Some cry at commercials; others hardly shed a tear if hit by the worst of personal disasters. 

Emotions are often frightening. They are so intense that they cause us to feel insecure and unsure of our self. We feel out of control and unstable. This causes many people to shut off their emotions.

They function from their mind and refuse to feel. They do not want to experience the pain which accompanies many emotions. They do not like feeling vulnerable and defenseless.

Men are taught that emotions are a sign of weakness. They will not allow themselves to cry or to admit being hurt. Their macho identity is in peril. They often despise emotions and disdain anyone who expresses them.

They think people will reject them if they knew how they really feel. This hinders them and their significant others from the free exchange of expression from their souls.

They separate from this vital part of their existence. They only connect to others through their mind, body and choices. They stop considering how their behavior affects another person's life.

Some people are very independent. They are self-sufficient, having their own agenda and they prefer not to interact too intimately in relationships unless they are in the mood for companionship.

Others are quite the opposite. They are dependent on others in order to survive. They feel no value in their abilities and are incapable of living alone. They lack confidence and self-esteem.

Some are codependent. They live for others and are only happy when they can rescue or enable someone else. They deny their own needs as a martyr.

Then they feel resentful and grow angry and bitter about all the sacrifices they make and responsibilities that they carry, which are not reciprocated.

Ideally, we all grow from these tainted and lopsided philosophies into interdependent people. We learn to accomplish things with our God-given talents and to form equally mutual relationships. We enjoy alone time, but also intimacy as well.

These healthy people recognize that positive emotions improve our life. They understand that negative emotions flag some issue, which need our attention. They easily commit to others as the Lord leads, and they readily forgive others.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to have the mind of Christ and allow us to feel Your healing love. Help us to love what You care about and to hate what You despise. Lead us on the pathway to wholeness. We are Your children and You spend every second of Your time showering us with Your abundant love.

Sometimes, we get so busy that we are not even aware of You communicating the unfathomable depth of Your love to each of us personally. You know us intimately and You want us to love You intimately as well. 

As we allow Your Spirit to bring us gradually closer to Your perfection as well as harmony with one another, we come together as Your Body, knit together with You as our Head and as the lover of our soul (Ephesians 4:16; Isaiah 38:17; Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

God only asks that we repent and ask for forgiveness when we fail; then He wants us to open up to the Holy Spirit’s direction so we can walk in obedience to His will for our individual lives. - Acts 3:19

Too Vulnerable

One objection people have about completely surrendering to Christ is that it makes us feel too vulnerable. Men especially despise admitting that they need help. It makes us feel deficient and dependent in some way.

Yet, humility is always the best course of action in this life. Admitting that we are not self-sufficient and that we need a Savior is actually freeing and empowering (John 8:36).

We cast our cares on Christ, knowing that He cares for us enough to give His life for us and to submit Himself to the horrendous crucifixion in order to guarantee our salvation (1 Peter 5:7).

We can ask God for protection and provision and reject Satan's lies in his attempt to discourage us with contempt and judgment for vulnerably admitting that we are powerless.

We come to realize that feeling emotions and admitting our needs is not weakness but strength. We acknowledge that we need our Father God, and possibly even a human confidant as well.

This helps us to heal and to feel less anxious, alone and shamed (2 Corinthians 5:20). We rely less on addictions and destructive behavior and have more inner fortitude to live our life for Christ.

God's Spirit can then empower us to help other people who have similar needs as our own. Seeing God's light and love shining in our life inspires them to trust Him with their life as well.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for caring for all of our needs as a doting Father who delights in us and even rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). We can pour out our heart to You with all of our hopelessness and fear, knowing that You care about everything, which concerns us.

Although You often require that we traverse the trial anyway, we are confident that You are walking through it from within us as well as beside us, completely surrounding us with Your love, wisdom, presence and power. You help us to look beyond despair to Your comfort, which is always more powerful than our burdens.

Thought for the Day:

When we come to Christ in our weariness and hopelessness, He hears us and comes to our rescue; He helps us to carry our heavy load of cares with His gentle humility, and we find true rest for our devastated soul. - Matthew 11:28-29